Recovery
by ancarett
Summary: Lex Luthor's plotting anew while Lois, Richard, Jason and Clark come to terms with changes to their lives after Superman returns.
1. Chapter 1

"A grandson? I have a grandson?"

Martha Kent's colour paled dramatically. Clark was relieved he'd gotten his mother to sit down on the worn sofa in her farmhouse before he shared the news with her. She still stared incredulously at the slick photograph showing a young boy perched on the edge of Lois Lane's desk at the _Daily Planet_.

"His name is Jason. He's five years old."

"Five?" Martha's eyes met Clark's in stern accusation.

"I just learned about this the other week, Mom," Clark replied a bit defensively. "Or at least, I woke up to the fact then. Lois and Jason visited me when I was unconscious at Metropolis General and she told me then that I was Jason's father." Clark looked down at the solemn face in Jimmy's photograph and couldn't suppress a smile. "I'm a father."

"So this is the 'something else' you said we'd talk about when you met up with Ben and I in Metropolis," Martha said chidingly. "I was just so happy to see my boy after all of that, I put it clean out of my mind." Martha leaned against her son's broad shoulder as he slowly flipped through the handful of black and white pictures Jimmy Olsen had taken as part of a "Day in the Life of a Paper" feature. Clark had asked for copies of the set to show his mother and Jimmy had enthusiastically obliged with more than a dozen eight by tens. There was one of Jason bounding in to hug his mother, another of him peeking over the shoulder of one of the graphic designers in the Art Department and one where he was happily perched on Richard White's shoulders.

Martha tapped the last one with a finger. "This is Lois' husband?"

"Her fiancé," Clark corrected.

Martha's eyes flew accusingly to his. "Clark, you're not breaking up a relationship, are you?"

He sighed. "Mom, I'm not. You and Dad taught me too well. Married or not, Richard White has been a father to Jason, the only father that boy has known and a good one. Anyway, Lois doesn't love me and I don't think she ever did."

Martha wrapped one arm around as much of her son as she could, offering him comfort. "I'm so sorry, Clark."

He chuckled, but the sound was weak and hollow. "At least something good's come out of all of this, Mom. Jason's a great kid. And I can be there, as Superman, to help him grow up with his powers and adjust to life with them."

Martha gasped. "My lord, that's right! He's five. Has he shown any signs of superpowers, yet? You were even younger than that when you first lifted the car, Clark."

His expression sobered. "I asked Lois about that. Apparently he threw a piano across the room on Luthor's yacht to save her. She figured that he has to know something strange is going on and we'll both have to talk with him about this."

Martha nodded throughout his explanation and patted him on the back. "Yes, and soon. I don't envy Lois in this. The stories I could tell her about raising you." She looked down at the photographs wistfully. "But I can't, can I?"

Clark leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "Not now, mom. I'm sorry. Maybe never, but I hope not. Right now, Jason doesn't know anything about his powers or that I'm his father. And even Lois doesn't know that I'm, well, who I am. Obviously, the subject hasn't even been broached with Richard. At least, I don't _think_ she has. . . ."

Martha bit her lip and looked back to the photographs. Clark handed them over and she slowly looked through one after another, seeking out the figure of her grandson. She stopped at one and lightly traced the shape of Jason's laughing face peeking out from under Perry's desk to the editor's evident surprise. "I understand, Clark," she said. She sniffed and he knew that she was fighting back tears.

Clark hugged his mother again, cursing himself for causing Martha Kent yet more pain.

Martha seemed to sense his feelings and looked up with a warning in her eyes. "Now don't you go beating yourself up, Clark. Things are the way they are for a reason. You've given me more joy than sorrow today, son, and all I ask for now are regular updates on my two boys."

"Anything, Mom," Clark promised. "I'm sure I can get more pictures. And maybe, if you and Ben come back to Metropolis now that I'm not out of things, you can drop by the _Planet_ and meet him. Jason's pretty much there all the time he's not at school or his daycare."

"I'd like that, Clark." Martha carefully picked up the next picture, showing Clark, seated at his desk, smiling up at Jason who was standing on the desktop to his hovering mother's evident dismay. "I think I can get away with framing this one and putting it on the piano."

Clark smiled and nodded, then reluctantly rose from the sofa. The early morning light was brightening the eastern sky. "I'll need to get going soon, Mom. It'll be time to get back to work at the _Planet_. Are you sure you don't need any help with the chores before I go?"

Martha waved one hand dismissively as she placed the photographs on the coffee table then rose in turn. "All the chores I have to do these days revolve around those three goats, one lazy dog and a half dozen barn cats. And half the time Ben's over here to help out. I think I can manage. Anyway, you've got a lot to do these days, as Clark, as Superman and as a dad."

Clark ducked his head slightly. "It's the least I can do. I have to help fix all the damage Luthor did to Metropolis. After all, if it wasn't for the crystals . . . ."

Martha bristled. "Don't go blaming yourself for that man's doing, Clark! His evil actions are on his soul, not yours."

His blue eyes lifted to meet her gaze. "I know, Mom. It just--" Clark waved a hand in frustration, "I feel robbed twice over. First he used those crystals for evil, but second, that Lex Luthor robbed me -- robbed Jason! -- of all that was in those crystals. The words of my Kryptonian parents, everything! If there was just some way to get them back." Clark clenched his fist.

Martha chided, "No use crying over spilt milk, son. You need to go forward, not backwards."

Clark nodded and dropped a kiss on her hair before pushing open the screen door. Forward was east, to Metropolis, the _Planet_ and his son. He wouldn't think of Lois, he vowed, as his feet left the ground and he raced into another busy morning.

* * *

"I'm not going to waste my time thinking about Superman," Lois Lane growled as she poured her cold cup of coffee down the drain. The sentiment might be real but she had little confidence in her follow-through. Though it had been months since Superman so spectacularly returned to their lives, matters had not returned to normal. Almost every day brought a new assignment from Perry to write something Superman-related. And every day she saw that same person in her son, their son. And, if she were honest, nearly every night in her dreams, she saw and felt him there.

"No, enough time-wasting!" Lois growled as she realized she'd been poised in front of the sink, thinking about the very person she'd vowed to stop thinking about. It was maddening!

She spun on her heel to grab her purse from the table only to see Richard and Jason staring at her with equally dubious expressions. "What?" Lois challenged. "Come on, munchkin. Grab your lunch and skedaddle to the car or we'll be late for school."

Jason glanced up at his dad, who handed him the insulated lunch bag and pointed the boy in the direction of the garage. "Go on, kid. Your mom's right."

Jason started through the doorway and Lois slipped in behind him, leaving Richard to bring up the rear.

"You okay?" he asked as she walked ahead. Richard's tone was worried and Lois mentally kicked herself for causing him concern. It wasn't like Lois Lane to daydream or let good coffee go to waste. At least it wasn't like the Lois she'd been for the first five years of their acquaintance. She knew what he was thinking, but she was afraid that that other Lois was being lost in the confusion.

"Sure," Lois said briskly. "Never better. Except I could use some fresh coffee when we get to the office." _And_ she added silently, _something to keep my mind off of Superman.  
_

* * *

  
"I want your mind on Superman, 24/7, Lois. He's news and news sells papers, in case you hadn't noticed."

Perry White crossed his arms as he stared down his star reporter implacably. Lois Lane paced in front of his desk, biting on a thumbnail and shooting her editor angry looks.

"Superman isn't the only news in town, Chief! I was right about the blackout. I was right about Lex Luthor."

Jimmy Olsen timidly interjected, "Actually, if I remember right, I was the one who brought up Lex Luthor." At the glare from both Perry and Lois, the photographer meekly subsided in his chair at the side of Perry's desk.

"Chief, let me cover something else with the Superman beat, then. I could write about the problems with rebuilding the subway or maybe look into the whole immigration debate or . . . anything. Just not always Superman!"

Behind her, Perry's office door tentatively opened to Clark Kent's hesitant push. "You wanted to see me, Chief?"

"Where have you been, Kent?" Perry growled. "I've been waiting on your story for the last half hour!"

Clark somehow finished stuffing himself awkwardly through the door and thrust a folder onto Perry's desk. He nearly stumbled into Lois, mumbling "Sorry," as he gratefully took the seat beside Jimmy.

The tall reporter turned his gaze back to the editor-in-chief. "Umm, I'm sorry about that, Chief, but I emailed the story to you last night. I thought you saw it already." One nervous finger pushed his glasses back up his nose and Clark seemed to sink into the hard, wooden chair.

Perry White looked up from the hard copy. "Saw it? Been too busy to check my email this morning what with Lane, here, going all prima donna on me."

Lois's mouth gaped at the accusation. "Prima donna? Perry!"

Their editor raised one hand forbiddingly as the other flipped through the sheets in Clark's folder. When he came to the end, Perry fixed his eye on Clark's face.

"Are you sure about this?"

Clark nodded eagerly, almost vibrating out of the chair. "Yessir! I've got confirmation on the numbers. He's pocketed at least ten million that we can verify, but it looks like we could find more if we went back further."

Perry's face took on an unholy glow. "Do that for a follow-up, but I want you to run this by legal and get it ready for tomorrow's front page. You got pictures?"

Clark grinned and nodded to Jimmy who smiled broadly, leaping up from his seat. "Sure thing! I went along with Clark two nights ago like you asked and I got some great shots. Let me go back to my desk and get 'em!" Jimmy rocketed out of the room in his excitement.

"What's going on? Perry? Clark?" Lois tapped her foot and the two remaining men in the room turned her way. Clark's grin melted away and Lois felt as if she'd kicked a puppy.

"Ah, yes, Lois. Clark, here, came to see me two weeks back with a lead he wanted to pursue. It turns out that Jacob Roscoe, of Roscoe's Surveying, been skimming off federal disaster funding. You remember that funding they received to run remote sensing survey on all the damaged sites from the New Krypton quakes and report on trouble spots? It turns out they don't even have the equipment! They've been running surveys with dummy devices and Roscoe's been pocketing all the cash for himself. But now," Perry waved the folder triumphantly, "we've got the proof. Good work, Kent!"

Clark smiled nervously as he ducked his head at Perry's praise, but his eyes remained focused on a visibly displeased Lois.

"Why," Lois asked in tones of arctic calm, "wasn't _I_ working on that story? No offense, Clark," she added offhandedly, all the while leaning forward on Perry's desk to confront her editor, "but if this story is that big, why do you just have one reporter on it? Why not two? Why not a whole team? I could look into Roscoe's on-site operators to see what they know or the federal agents who let this slide while Clark finishes up his own story."

Clark waved his fingers gingerly above his head but Perry White took no notice. "Lois, I keep telling you that you have a story and an assignment, the biggest we have at the _Planet_. You're assigned to Superman. Let Clark and Jimmy wrap this thing up. I want you to give me two thousand words by the end of the day on the Man of Steel and what he's up to these days. Now, get going."

Perry made a shooing motion with his hands. Lois shot him a frustrated look. "Chief, you can't keep me wrapped in cotton wool. I'm not going to break, or disappear or drown."

Perry leaned back in his chair, affecting surprise. "I don't know what you're talking about, Lois."

Lois looked over her shoulder towards Richard's office. The assistant editor was deep in conversation with some of the international political reporters but seemed to sense her regard, lifting his eyes to meet her gaze with a smile.

She turned back to his uncle, wearily. "You can't keep me safe by locking me away, Perry. Richard wouldn't want you to either." Lois resisted adding that Richard would probably sing for joy upon hearing Lois was assigned to something other than Superman. Now wasn't the time or place to bring up that private tension. She soldiered on with her plea: "I'm a good reporter and I'm tired of doing nothing while everyone else gets to be a journalist. Like they say in sports, Perry, play me or trade me."

The editor appeared distinctly uncomfortable. "Lois, I wasn't trying to -- I mean, I wasn't -- Oh, Hades! You'll go out after this story or something else, won't you, if I say 'no'?" At her emphatic nod, Perry relented. "All right. You can work with Clark on this story."

"With Clark?" Lois winced visibly. In his seat, Clark seemed to shrink even more in upon himself and Lois felt a moment's fleeting guilt. But Perry's terse affirmation left her flailing inwardly as she nodded her grudging agreement. It was clear that the _Planet_'s editor-in-chief was bending only so far in letting her do her job: Superman alone or Superman and . . . Clark.


	2. Chapter 2

"Way to go, Kent!" Perry gestured grandly to the banner headline of the _Planet_: **CERTIFIED UNSAFE: SURVEYOR SCAMS CITY**. "The other newspapers are eating our dust!" The newspaper editor grinned with pride, then proceeded with markedly less enthusiasm. "Oh, and good job, too, Lois, on the follow-up with the building inspectors."

Across the crowded briefing room, Clark Kent nodded awkwardly at the chorus of appreciation. Lois tapped her pen on the table in front of her, hoping her boss would get the morning meeting back on track. With Richard taking care of Jason at home, Lois had worked late last night, tracking down the officials who'd relied on the work of Roscoe's Surveying to declare buildings safe for habitation and utilities clear to return to full functioning. Their outrage had given her a great hook for the article that appeared on the front page, albeit below the fold. Below Clark's.

At least it had nothing to do with Superman. Lois Lane, ace reporter, was back in the game. Or she would be as soon as Perry handed out the day's assignment.

"Lane? Kent? I want you to follow up on this. Milk this story for all it's worth! Clark? You can accompany the marine team that's looking at the underwater pipeline Roscoe signed off on. See if they fudged on that the same as so many other projects. Lois? You can give me the Superman angle."

Faster than a speeding bullet, Lois rose out of her chair, growling. "Chief? What kind of story is that?"

Perry White blinked in surprise at her ferocious response. "You know, what the big guy's doing to help check out this problem. I hear he agreed to bring in the mini-sub they're using to inspect the pipeline. You could meet him at the docks and get his exclusive insights."

Lois leaned forward, gesticulating with her pen. "I am _not_ going to be writing fluff pieces on Superman while there's a story that's going untouched. Nobody here," she waved the pen towards Clark, standing meekly on the other side of the room, "has thought to ask where all of Roscoe's cutting edge equipment disappeared to so that he had to start faking the results. The man won three major scientific awards for his research into remote sensing technology, got rave reviews for his inventions and these machines were, by all accounts, his life. Either he's been faking everybody out all along or there's something else going on."

Perry smiled enthusiastically. "See, people? This is why Lois Lane won a Pulitzer. She's got the killer instinct for a great story." He looked down at the papers in front of him and made a few notes with his own pen, then looked up. "Okay, Kent, I want you to start on the follow-up regarding Roscoe's equipment and his record. Dig into the archives, check out the experts at Met U. Lois? Take Olsen with you. You'll do the marine team's inspection **and** Superman. Meet up with Kent after you file those stories and the two of you can share notes on the rest."

Lois opened her mouth to object but subsided, resuming her seat at Perry's relentless stare. She knew that this was as much of a concession as she'd get on the story. _One step at a time_, she reminded herself, then started jotting down notes on what she'd tell Clark to ensure he didn't mess up her story before she and Jimmy headed to the wharf.

As staff members filed out of the room, babbling over their daily assignments, Lois hung back, jotting more notes on her pad of paper. "Don't go too far, Clark," she ordered without lifting her head.

A hesitant clearing of the throat was the only response she received, but she smiled, nonetheless. Clark was so reliable. She finished her cryptic notes:

_warf  
revue  
port ethority, check!  
Resurch fund sources Rosco  
followup patents rites_

then looked up to see him watching her, visibly uneasy.

Smiling, Lois attempted to put Clark Kent at ease. No matter how much he annoyed her with his meek as milquetoast ways, he was a good partner and, more importantly, very good at research. If she couldn't be two places at one time, she could rely on him to pick up the other half of their assignment.

"Good work on that story, Clark," she began. Seeing him begin to stammer, she cut off his response. "Really, I mean it. You did a great job but we have to follow up everything before the other reporters in town beat us to the next scoop."

Clark nodded vigorously. "I know, Lois. Th-th-that was a good idea with Perry, about looking into Roscoe's background."

She cocked her head to one side. "Honestly, Clark. You were thinking that, too, weren't you."

He seemed to shrink as he looked down to the tabletop in front of him and Lois sighed. Would he ever find enough self-confidence to assert himself? Injecting an excess of cheer into her voice, she answered her own question, "Of course you were. You're a good reporter, Clark. Not as good as I am, of course, but still a good reporter."

Lois was rewarded with a smile and a sense that some of Clark's nerves had abated. "Sit down. We need to plan out where we're going next with the story. Especially if I'm going to be out on the waterfront for most of the day! Let's see what we need to cover. . . ."

Between the two of them, they drafted a list of all the unanswered questions they needed to pursue. Looking at her notes, Clark volunteered to keep the records and they brainstormed what sources they'd need to check for everything from the newspaper's morgue through contacts at the federal funding agency and the scientists who'd mentored Roscoe during his meteoric rise in the field of research.

Lois was surprised to note that only fifteen minutes had passed but they'd, nevertheless, managed to come up with a pretty substantial list of things to do. She pursed her lips as she reviewed it all. "Will you be able to get to all of this while I'm out of the office what with" -her hand sketched a flying motion suddenly ducking downwards- "Superman and all?"

Clark seemed to fold inward upon himself. "You sound upset, Lois."

She blinked, looking up at him. "I'm not, really. Well, a bit at Perry. He seems to mollycoddle me ever since that whole thing with Luthor."

"You're sure that's all. You're not upset at-" his stutter returned suddenly -"S-s-s-superman?"

Lois sighed again. "Superman's a whole other issue. I don't blame him for being the number one news story. Heck, I helped make him that. I just wish. . . ." Her gaze flew over his shoulder and out to the newsroom where Richard White was in close conversation with another reporter, "I wish my life was less complicated."

She didn't stop to think it was kind of funny for Mr. Smallville, Kansas, simple country boy Clark Kent to nod so vigorously in agreement with her on the last statement. But she did think it was funny how easy it was to talk with him about some of these things. Good old Clark. He made everyone feel right at home.

"Umm, excuse me, Miss Lane?" Jimmy Olsen hefted his camera equipment uneasily, standing uncomfortably in the chilly winter breeze, stopped on the boarding plank behind the _Daily Planet_'s star reporter. "Miss Lane?"

He couldn't see for sure what was causing the delay, but her face was tilted dreamily upwards. Still, Jimmy didn't dare say anything about the likely cause of her abstraction. Lois Lane was nothing if not a bit touchy about the big guy and all of that. He settled on clearing his throat loudly and was rewarded with a start that had them both soon settled on the barge.

True to form, Lois Lane was immediately all business, marching up to the knot of sailors and introducing herself with her credentials. One weathered woman, clearly the captain, shook her hand then pointed towards the rear of the vessel – aft, Jimmy reminded himself – where another group was busy around a strange assortment of equipment. Following Lois' lead, Jimmy picked up the tripod and large camera bag, making his way across the gently shifting deck towards their goal.

"Hello! I'm Lois Lane from the _Planet_. Remember, we'd arranged to come along with your pipeline inspection team?"

One of the group, a wiry, tanned man crouching down beside an electronic console fitted into a large case, stood up to shake her hand. "Yes, I remember! John Swanson, chief scientist at the Oceanographic Institute. We're happy you could join us today." He gestured to the cases beside them. "These are the controls for our mini-sub that's going to permit us to carry out a visual inspection of the pipeline that Roscoe's Surveying had cleared last month."

Lois craned her neck to look out over the water, scanning for the submarine vessel. "We missed Superman?" She told herself that it was only the knowledge of Perry's expectation that sparked the disappointment she felt.

"Oh, no!" Swanson smiled. "Superman brought our container of equipment over first and said he'd be back with the mini-sub any moment."

Jimmy, who'd been digging in his camera bag, dropped that and brought his trusty SLR to his eye, focusing his gaze into the sky and southwards.

"Jimmy?"

"What?" Unmoving, the photographer kept scanning the sky for his subject.

Lois sighed. "The Institute's north of the city. Turn around."

Within a minute, their vigil was rewarded as a small spot on the horizon rapidly closed with the barge. Superman came into focus, dwarfed by the research submarine he carried. Jimmy excitedly mumbled as he shot picture after picture and Lois tried to be completely professional, carrying on interviewing the scientists and representatives from the pipeline consortium who'd commissioned the inspection in the wake of _The Daily Planet_'s exposé. She was still barking out questions when a familiar hush descended around her. Superman had arrived.

He hovered just over the harbour waters, seaward of the barge. Attention focused on the Institute director, Superman politely asked where he should deposit their equipment. Swanson, smiling like a kid at Christmas, directed the superhero to lower it into the water beside them. Maneuvering the multi-tonne machine like a child would a toy; Superman complied and handed over the tethering cables to the waiting technicians. Lois watched quietly as the crew of the barge abandoned their own tasks to crowd near the rear of the barge, closer to their hero.

When it seemed as if he was about to fly off, however, Lois abandoned her reserve. "Superman!"

Instantly, he landed on the deck of the barge, regarding her politely. "Miss Lane?"

Lois glanced down at her notebook to remind herself of the questions she'd prepared, feeling all eyes upon them. "Superman, it's been two months since the disaster and now the citizens of Metropolis have new worries about their safety. Do you think we're ever going to return to normal?"

His gaze turned to the horizon and everyone could see the sigh he exhaled. "With all that Lex Luthor did, I don't know that will ever be possible for anyone in Metropolis. But it's certainly disappointing when what we thought was safe and secure proves to be built on shaky ground." He turned to look upon Dr. Swanson. "When I heard that the Institute was willing to help ensure the safety of Metropolis by inspecting the underwater pipeline, but couldn't get their equipment here, I had to volunteer my services."

Dr. Swanson seemed to swell with pride. "It was the most exciting moment in my life when you flew by our offices last night, Superman. We figured it would take us a week to arrange for the re-supply and transport of our sub and team but you did it all in less than a day. With your help, the people of Metropolis should know, today, whether they really have anything to worry about with their natural gas pipeline."

Jimmy snapped some more pictures, concentrating on Superman and the director. Lois tilted her recorder towards the scientist. "And I know the people of Metropolis will be grateful, Dr. Swanson. But why couldn't Superman just carry out the inspection himself?" She cocked her head towards the silent hero.

The scientist appeared a little amused. "He may be the Man of Steel but I don't think he has the expertise to do this job. To be able to restore complete natural gas service to the city, the pipeline has to be certified by registered inspectors. Our submarine can transport those people right to the site in convenience and relative comfort. If everything goes right, the job will be done tonight."

Lois smiled tightly at his condescension and changed her line of questioning. "Can we accompany you on the inspection?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid that the sub is going to be full with myself, the two inspectors and our operator aboard. But you're welcome to stay with our monitoring team here on the barge and watch the camera feeds or come to the debriefing tonight."

"Hmmm," she said, noncommittally. Tonight would be well after today's deadline. Focusing back on Superman, Lois asked, "Will you be doing anything else here today, Superman?"

The hero shook his head. "I've told Dr. Swanson that I'll be happy to return the equipment to the Institute when the inspection's finished. Besides that, I'm going to do what I can to help the hardworking men and women of Metropolis deal with the continuing fallout of the New Krypton disaster." His expression seemed to darken and Lois knew that he must be thinking more about the situation with Lex Luthor. There were so many questions still unanswered: what had happened with Luthor who seemed to have disappeared so completely; what other consequences of that enormous evil had yet to be uncovered. She, of course, had other questions of her own, but now was not the time and place.

Seeking to lighten the mood, Lois nodded towards the city skyline. "I'm sure we'll have a few other problems you can help with that have nothing to do with the rebuilding work, Superman, like who's going to help the Met U football team out of their slump." The scientists and inspectors chuckled at her weak joke and Superman took to the air, accompanied by the snap, snap, snap of Jimmy's shutter.

Moving decisively, Lois made her excuses to the research team as she finished up her interview questions. There was no way she'd huddle on this barge for an entire day when there were other story angles to explore. Before the barge could head out further into the harbour, she and Jimmy were back on land.

Lois paused to regard the unfamiliar industrial area of the docklands. Metropolis Terminal processed an enormous amount of oceangoing traffic as well as serving as the key transfer point for the coastal pipeline and transcontinental cables. Ahead she could see the jetties where the oil tankers unloaded their shipments.

"Come on, Jimmy."

The photographer stumbled behind her, burdened by his oversized camera bag. "Aren't we supposed to head back to the _Planet_?"

"In a minute." Lois marched purposefully towards the unoccupied jetty where a boarding tower loomed high overhead. "I want to see something, first. You can get some good pictures here, too."

Jimmy followed, nervously. As they reached the base of the tower, he looked around. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"Positive," Lois said decisively, putting a well-shod foot to the metal stairs. "I want to get up here and get some . . . perspective."

As she clattered upwards, Jimmy sighed and followed. "If you're sure. . . ."

Several stories above the pier, Lois looked searchingly around her. "The pipeline's just one part of the whole system, here, Jimmy. And even if it checks out clean, there's all these terminal buildings that will need to be inspected. Maybe Superman doesn't have the expertise to survey pipelines, but I bet he can do a lot to see damage out here, for instance. Or, if not Superman, maybe the _Planet_ can hire a helicopter and another survey team, and go over the area. Just imagine the scoop it would be."

She leaned sideways against the railing, looking out seaward. "So much was almost lost that day, Jimmy. So much is still at risk when cowards and cheaters, like Roscoe, fail in their duties." The metal gave an ominous creak but she continued to scan the horizon while digging in her coat pocket for her notebook. "We won't fail in ours."

"Umm, Lois?" Jimmy's voice sounded even more concerned.

"What, Jimmy?"

"Umm, are we leaning?"

The metal of the tower gave a heart-stopping groan and Lois felt herself sliding forward. As the icy waters of Metropolis Harbour dominated the view, she barely had time to shriek before she found herself falling, falling, falling. . . .


	3. Chapter 3

The one constant about rescues, whether they came as you dodged a collapsing wall or plummeted from a crumpling tower, was that you they occurred before you were even fully aware of your danger. As far as Lois' racing heart and pumping adrenal glands were concerned, she was still about to land face-first in the cold, oily harbour waters. But her sense of touch registered a warm, steely arm holding her close and her mind provided the only possible explanation: _Superman_. Before she got any farther in figuring out what had just happened, they were settled on the far side of the pier – a gasping, rattled Jimmy gently placed on his feet by their hovering savior who then, in turn, lightly landed with Lois Lane held flush against him.

"Gosh, thanks, Superman," Jimmy managed, one hand still clutching his camera bag while the other fumbled with the camera strap around his neck where his trusty SLR dangled, slightly askew. Jimmy looked beyond them and shuddered. "Man, I thought we were goners!"

Lois and Superman both turned to look where Jimmy had indicated. The boarding tower Lois and Jimmy had climbed a few minutes before was an unrecognizable twist of metal, bowed over a crumbling jetty. If it had collapsed when a tanker was settling into harbour or when its crew was debarking, the damage could have been far worse, Lois mused. But somehow, once again, Superman had saved the day.

"Another casualty of New Krypton," Superman announced, his gaze narrowing as he focused his x-ray vision. "The pilings at that end of the pier have broken away below the surface and I can see a micro-fault line running right underneath. It's surprising it lasted as long as it did without collapsing. I should have checked all of this."

Lois felt her heart clenching as she saw his pain and self-recrimination. "You can't be everywhere. You can't do everything. I had to learn that when Jason was little that sometimes, even when you do your best, accidents still happen. Don't blame yourself, Superman." His distant look vanished and his stance seemed to soften. She didn't know if he completely accepted her words, but they seemed to have brought him some comfort.

Lois realized she was still standing in the circle of his arms, an awareness she suspected he'd had for a bit longer, judging by the serious, focused look she encountered when she raised her eyes to his. She cleared her throat and flexed her finger against the minutely rough cloth of his sleeve. "Thanks again," she murmured, feeling self-conscious as her heartbeat continued to race, even though the danger was clearly past.

Superman held her gaze steadily. "You're welcome, Lois, as always."

click

Belatedly, they turned to regard Jimmy, who was excitedly snapping shot after shot of them. "Oh boy, Perry's going to love this -- great composition with Superman in front and the wreckage behind." Lois sprang backward out of Superman's light embrace as Jimmy Olsen continued. "Thanks, Lois, that's great! A couple without you in the way would be perfect!"

Superman turned some more to face Jimmy directly, arms crossed forbiddingly across his chest. Jimmy's frantic pace halted and his head shot up over the viewfinder. "Umm, sorry, Superman. I guess I got carried away."

The hero smiled minutely. "That's all right, Jimmy, but I have to go talk to the Port Authority before someone else is endangered." In the distance, they all heard the sirens of emergency vehicles wailing their way toward the wreckage. Superman gravely regarded both of the reporters. "Will you be able to get back to the paper?" Unspoken but understood to Lois was the _and not get into more trouble_ he directed her way. She nodded. Since somehow her purse strap hadn't given way during their hair-raising rescue, Lois' car keys were safe so they _could_ make it back to the office.

The _Daily Planet_ photographer belatedly nodded as he lowered the camera, politely refraining from catching any more intimate moments. With a last glance to Lois, Superman rocketed skyward. Lois shook her head sharply and turned to regard the approaching rapid response vehicles. "What took you guys so long?" she barked. "Didn't you realize you had a disaster in the making here?"

A visibly shaken, gray-haired man slowly extracted himself from the lead vehicle while dock workers began to block off the damaged end of the pier. "Frank O'Connell, Metropolis Harbour Properties Manager. And you are?"

"Lois Lane, _Daily Planet_. We were here to cover the pipeline inspection when we got sidetracked." She gestured over her shoulder at the impressive wreckage. "If it weren't for Superman, we'd be in the harbour or worse."

O'Connell shuddered and, despite the chill, mopped nervous sweat from his brow. "We had this whole area inspected and approved by Roscoe, weeks ago! We took precautions! We did our best."

"Apparently your best wasn't good enough when it came to trusting Roscoe. Haven't you been reading the _Planet_? He's been unmasked as a fraud."

O'Connell shook his head, emphatically. "He can't be. Five years ago, when we expanded this pier, he was part of the original team that signed off on this development. Our site was the big launch of his new equipment. I saw it, firsthand. He ran a demonstration right here: one of our tugboats dropped a single silver ingot in the harbour the night before and Roscoe was able to direct our divers straight to that within fifteen minutes of powering up his equipment. His machines map sites that are almost inaccessible and they're accurate within a thousandth of an inch."

Lois narrowed her eyes. This sounded like it came right out of Roscoe's promotional brochures, but the sincere, shaken face in front of her didn't belong to a salesman. "Do you have some proof of this? Some of the original scans?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm sure. Back at the office. Come with me, you'll see!" O'Connell moved to usher them into his vehicle. Jimmy wedged himself in the backseat while Lois continued her questions as they drove towards the business offices. O'Connell offered some answers but was clearly rattled by the catastrophe. Once they reached the low slung building, Lois and Jimmy followed him through the hallways to a modest office stuffed with so many tools and filing cabinets it was a wonder there was room for a desk and chairs. O'Connell gestured for them to take a seat while he rifled through the cabinets. Within a minute, he muttered triumphantly and pulled out a thick manila folder.

"See? We even have photographs from an underwater camera that our port divers used to see if his readings were on the up and up." O'Connell he fanned out the file's content on the desk in front of Lois. She quickly leafed through the materials, pushing aside the photographs to study the printouts from Roscoe's machinery. Beneath a heading with the date and GPS coordinates of the scan, the oversized papers mapped out a remarkable image of the harbour bottom and its underlying bedrock. Struck by a thought, Lois lifted her head to look at the nervous manager. "Do you have the scans from Roscoe's latest surveying?"

He nodded. "Of course! They're out in the main office since we were still processing all of our damage reports. They were almost wrapped up, though, since so little structural damage was uncovered."

Jimmy fidgeted while they waited. "Take some pictures of these files, Jimmy," Lois directed. "We might want to compare some of this paperwork with what Clark found in your earlier investigation."

"Sure, Lois!" Jimmy positioned himself over the desk and snapped a series of close-ups of the printouts that Lois slid in front of his viewfinder. Within a few minutes he had to step back as Frank O'Connell returned, papers in hand but a troubled expression on his face.

"What's the matter?" Lois asked.

"I found the readouts from last month's re-survey." O'Connell fanned the papers down on the desk with a sigh.

Lois examined them, looking for signs of what had upset the manager. At first glance, there didn't seem to be any reason for his discomfiture. The images of the harbour bottom were serene and stable: precisely what a nervous administration would want to see after the disaster that had struck the city. She paused, and then rapidly leafed back through the papers.

"You see it, don't you?" O'Connell asked, mournfully.

"Yes," Lois whispered. "Yes, I do. Jimmy? Get a picture of this!"

* * *

"Great Caesar's Ghost! Clark? Lois? Jimmy? This is great stuff." Perry was wreathed in smiles when he read over their copy about the morning's crisis on the pier and fanned out Jimmy's photographs in front of him. "This is the smoking gun on Roscoe's fraud – Clark had him pocketing the money without sending out his crews, you've proved that he just recycled scans from five years ago when signing off on current reports," Perry gestured to the photographs Jimmy had taken in the Port Authority offices, "right down to that silver ingot still showing up in the harbour, five years after the divers recovered it."

Lois smiled with real satisfaction. Their morning's detective work would silence the critics who felt that the _Planet_ was sensationalizing the risk to Metropolis.

"Can you give me a thousand-word sidebar on the tower collapse and your rescue? You know, an 'I was there' piece with the whole Superman angle? It'll look good on the front page beside the main stories. Heck, the whole front section's going to be a Lane and Kent production."

Lois fought back her automatic annoyance at being asked to write about Superman yet again, and tersely agreed. To be honest, she was more interested in the 'Kent' aspect that Perry mentioned. Until now, she hadn't given much thought to Clark's day. Clark had finished his story assignment before she and Jimmy had returned to the office so she'd shamelessly badgered her partner into typing and correcting her copy on the grounds that a partner was a partner. Particularly a partner who was a touch typist and could spell! But there had to be something more to what he'd written than just a background on the crooked inventor if Perry was so enthusiastic.

"And Clark, you did a great job getting all that information out of the folks at Met U. Tracking down his old professors from there and getting them to talk about the inventions was good stuff. But you topped it all when you went after his funding source."

Lois stood on her tiptoes as she tried to read the sheet Perry was waving before them. Frustrated at trying to see what Perry was holding, she growled and her editor jumped. "What's got your goat, Lois?"

"I didn't get to read Clark's piece yet. What does he say?"

Perry shot a look over the rim of his reading glasses at the shuffling reporter standing to her left. "Why don't you tell her, Clark?"

She could sense Clark's unease when she turned toward him. Lois cursed herself for not asking Clark about his story before browbeating him into helping with hers: she hated feeling out of the loop. Gathering up her patience, just like she'd do with Jason when he was upset, she smiled encouragingly at her partner and adopted a gentler tone. "What did you find, Clark?"

Clark stilled his awkward shifting as her tone eased and stopped fidgeting with his glasses, but still seemed distressed. "Well, you see, I asked Professor Schmidt what he knew about Roscoe's patents. Seems he had been in some trouble. Leaving the U and going out on his own was a big splash but it seemed pretty tough. The company was going bankrupt! Roscoe apparently came back to Met U last year in hopes of getting reappointed. Things were going along on that until, well..." Clark broke off and glanced up at Lois before continuing, "well, until just after the New Krypton disaster. Two weeks after that, Roscoe called the whole deal off."

Lois nodded. "So? He'd landed the big contract from FEMA to resurvey the disaster sites."

Clark pushed up his glasses again and stuttered, "N-n-no, Lois, he didn't have that until a month afterward. What he did have, according to Schmidt, was a contract from a backer buying the company's patents and proprietary equipment for five million dollars. Said they were a mining company, interested in remote sensing of 'rare materials'."

Picking up on the intonation, Lois paused then questioned, "'Said' they were a mining company?"

Clark sighed, "That's what Schmidt thought. But when I looked up the patent rights, like we'd talked about, they were registered to a company in the Caymans."

Lois felt her stomach muscles tighten in anticipation. "And?"

Clark cleared his throat, "The only officer of the numbered corporation is a Katherine Kowalski of Metropolis. Her address was the same as the Vanderworth house at the epicenter of the first blackout and the site where you and Jason ended up on the _Gertrude_."

For a moment, it felt as if the solid world around her was receding and Lois heard herself saying mechanically, as if it came from a very great distance, "Lex Luthor's back."

Clark rushed to get her a cup of coffee and Perry insisted she sit down to recover her bearings. Lois brushed aside her editor's offer to fetch Richard – her fiancé was covering a visit to Metropolis by the Indonesian President that she knew would last into the evening. And there was Jason to consider – she had less than an hour before the daycare pick-up. Brushing aside their concern, she sat down at the keyboard and began to bang out her account of the rescue, grateful for the spell check function on the word processor. With ten minutes to spare, she hit the 'SEND' button, directing the copy to Perry for approval. Grabbing her purse with one hand, she swayed wearily as she stood up.

"Are you sure you're okay, Lois? You don't look so good." Clark appeared as if from nowhere, and hovered beside her desk.

She groaned. "Let's see, I tramped all over the waterfront, nearly fell to my death today _and_ I missed lunch. Nothing a good meal and an early night won't cure." She raised her eyes to see him still watching her with a worried look and laughed. "Don't fuss, Clark. I'll be fine. I have to run and pick up Jason from daycare. I'll see you tomorrow. We're going to have to follow up on your discovery, then." Waving with forced cheerfulness, Lois strode off to the elevators, bouncing impatiently in her heels as she waited to head out. For some reason, she couldn't wait to give her boy a big hug.

* * *

The skies of Metropolis were dark as Lois washed up the dinner dishes. Jason's backpack was on the dinner table with a sheaf of papers from his class and daycare to review and sign off on. From the living room, she heard the tinkle of the keyboard and smiled. Jason had been a bit hesitant to play, since their ordeal aboard the _Gertrude_, but he'd started back in the last week after spending an evening at the _Planet_ singing Christmas carols with Clark and Jimmy while Lois had worked through another late deadline.

Hanging up her dishtowel, Lois leaned against the counter and listened to her son's halting rendition of "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer". She'd not been able to talk about the whole piano incident with Richard, yet, but she knew she'd have to do so at some point. It was hard enough to admit to herself that Jason was not an ordinary human. How much more difficult would it be for the man who thought of himself as Jason's father to learn that wasn't the case? She sighed as she found herself fretfully smoothing the wet dishtowel on the rack. Sitting around moping wasn't going to solve her problems. Checking the clock, she moved to the living room door.

"Hey, kiddo," she called, "five minutes to bedtime. Better wrap things up."

With a flourishing finish, Jason ran through the end of the Christmas tune. "Am I getting better, mommy?"

"Good enough to play for Santa," she promised.

Jason shook his head solemnly. "Santa's not real, mom. But thanks, anyway."

She chuckled in bemusement. Sometimes Jason could be so solemn and sincere – like a little boy scout. How he could be that way and still be her son, she didn't know. "You're welcome. Now, let's get you ready for bed."

Automatically picking up his toys, she watched while Jason put away his keyboard and bounded toward the stairs. "Will Dad be home in time?"

Lois glanced at the clock. The press conference at the Indonesian consulate probably wouldn't end for another hour. "Sorry, I don't think so. But Daddy'll come in to check on you during the night." _Maybe both of your daddies_, she added silently.

That seemed to be enough comfort for now. Lois followed her son up the stairs to his room, stowing his toys away while he got changed and ready for bed. With a good-night kiss and a final tuck-in, Lois turned off the lights and left the room. The window was, as always, unlocked. If Superman was going to come, Lois would make it easy on him.

Only when she was back downstairs did Lois admit to herself how tired she really was. Declining to check her email, she powered down her computer, and then went through all of Jason's paperwork before heading upstairs to get ready for bed. Pulling on a soft, flannel nightgown against the winter chill, she glanced out the window one last time before pulling the drapes shut. Rooting around her nightstand, she found a book she'd been meaning to finish. Lois yawned as she settled into bed, but she was determined to stay awake to greet Richard when he returned.

When she heard the downstairs door open a while later, Lois blinked her eyes wide open. Richard's tread on the stairs was slow and heavy, as if he was dragging a great weight. When he appeared in the doorway, Lois waited, wondering what was troubling him. Richard's shoulders seemed slumped and his expression was carefully blank.

"What happened, Richard? Was there a problem tonight at the consulate?"

His laugh was hollow. "No, no problems. Filed my story at the office and got ready to head home when Uncle Perry showed me the front page mockup for the morning edition." Richard reached under his arm and unfolded a slim sheet of newsprint. "Here you go. Might as well take a look before it hits the newsstands tomorrow."

Lois put down her novel and reached for the paper, unfolding it to see that she had another front page byline. But her usual smile faded as she looked at the photo Perry had chosen to run above the fold. Instead of anything from the barge or the printouts from the survey fraud they'd documented, he'd wisely gone with the most compelling of Jimmy's photos. This was one time that Lois wished her editor would have put aside his instinct for a good story and think about the consequences.

On the grainy newsprint, Lois Lane stood in front of a terrifying wreck of the collapsed boarding tower. The image was a perfect accompaniment to the stories that she and Clark had written, no doubt. But it was how she stood, clearly enthralled, embraced by and embracing the man who had rescued her: that was what struck Lois most clearly about this picture.

Lois listened to Richard sigh as he sat down at the foot of the bed. "Lois, I've listened to you lie to me countless times over the years I've known you. You lie about smoking. You lie about eating healthy. You lie about using spell check! But I never thought you lied about the important things. That is, until now."

He put his hand out towards the newsprint. "When are you going to admit to yourself that you're still in love with Superman?"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Note:** Continuing beta-credit goes to the amazing htbthomas who's not only a gifted writer for her own part, but generously edited and suggested improvements in this story.   
_

* * *

_"When are you going to admit to yourself that you're still in love with Superman?"_

Lois sat silent. She couldn't say she was completely surprised by Richard's question. She'd been counting on his innate sense of chivalry to keep him from prodding her on the way that she'd changed since Superman came back into their lives. At first it had been easy to keep up the façade: the anger that had fueled her Pulitzer Prize-winning article wasn't faked. It hadn't been easy for Lois to admit that, perhaps, her abandonment hadn't been a one-sided pain. But after hearing his muted "Goodbye, Lois" when Superman flew out of their plane to dispose of the New Krypton threat, she realized that he, too, suffered when it came to matters of the heart. That revelation made it impossible for her to hold the grudge that had sustained her for over five long years. And, without the grudge, it seemed that Lois Lane had no defenses in matters of the heart.

Aware of Richard's regard, she lifted her eyes to meet his. "I tried, Richard. I really thought I was over him."

His laugh was hollow. "You told me you never loved him at all."

Lois turned away, slipping out from under the covers and walking over to the closet. She pulled out a charmeuse robe and belted it tightly around her waist. When that was done, she turned back to look at her fiancé. "No one really wants to talk about the mistakes of the past, Richard. Yes, I loved him. And I still feel something for him but I chose you. I'm going to stick with you."

She saw him close his eyes, seemingly pained, and then shake his head abruptly. "You say that, Lois, but I don't want you to be with me because you feel you have to honour a commitment. I want you to be with me because you want it, too." He looked at the grainy newsprint image of her clasped in Superman's arms, their gazes meshed as closely as their bodies. "I don't want to be your second best."

Lois wrapped her arms around herself and paced across the small bedroom. "You're not second best, Richard! You're a great guy. You've been there for me from day one. You're a great father to Jason and a great fiancé!"

She watched as Richard shook his head. "Look, Lois, I appreciate it. But I can see, now, that I'll never be to you what he is." He looked her up and down consideringly. "You're okay, aren't you? I talked to Uncle Perry and he assured me that you and Jimmy were just fine after today's excitement."

Distractedly, Lois nodded. "Of course, I'm fine. That's not the point, Richard. I don't know what's up with this, but I'm not about to take up with Superman." _Not again_ she added inwardly.

Richard walked over to the closet and pulled out his small carry-on, efficiently filling it with items from the drawers and hangers.

Lois' pacing sped up and she put one hand to her mouth as she stalked the bedroom in frustration. "Are you— are you leaving, Richard?"

As he zipped up the bag, he looked up. "Just for now. I'm going down to Washington. There's a summit there I'd asked Simmons to cover but he's still under the weather. It'll give me, us, a chance to think things over. Plan what's coming next. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe not." He paused at the doorway. "Tell Jason that I got called away on business. I'll call him tomorrow after supper."

Lois blinked back the tears and held her chin high. "And us?"

Richard smiled minutely, looking every inch the man she'd sworn she'd fallen in love with, all those years ago. "We'll talk after I'm back."

With that, he was out the bedroom door and down the stairs. Lois heard him exit towards the rear of the house and within a few minutes, the drone of the seaplane's engine was audible. She stepped to the window overlooking the water. In the moonlight, she could see the plane ghosting away from the dock, out to the open water and to takeoff.

She stood there in the window for a very long time.

* * *

The sleep which had seemed so imminent an hour beforehand proved elusive as the night wore on. Lois retreated to her book-lined study to review her notes. The jumble of scribbles and jottings, the growing accumulation of recorded interviews, all took on a new significance as she poured over them. No longer was this just a story of criminal negligence on the part of an obscure technology company. Ever since uncovering that possible link to Lex Luthor, the story they were investigating took on a greater significance.

Logged into the _Planet_'s VPN, Lois searched for information on Katherine Kowalski. The details were slim – a well publicized but eventually fruitless court case for palimony from an aging Broadway impresario, a nursing qualification which landed her a job in the corrections system and then, for four years, nothing as far as the world was concerned. Well, almost nothing. Just after Superman returned, Katherine Kowalski had made front page news in the arms of Superman. Lois eyed the photograph of the woman desperately clutching the shoulders of her superhero saviour, the same image Perry had praised as iconic. Hmph. It hadn't been long after that she'd seen the same woman, in person, on board Luthor's yacht though it had taken her days to make the connection between Luthor's "Kitty" and the car crash victim from the front page.

Now that same person was back, even if in name only, linked to this increasingly worrisome story she and Clark were assigned to unravel. Lois dropped her head into her hands and groaned.

"Lois? Is there a problem?"

Her head flew up and she turned around in her seat with a gasp. There, in the doorway, stood Superman. She supposed he'd stopped by to look in on Jason and heard her exhalation. Her first impulse was to shut down on this emotion, but she knew that Superman would be as worried about the implications as she was.

"It's just that I've, I mean, _we've_, Clark and I, discovered a possible link between Lex Luthor and this whole surveying scam. Lex Luthor's girlfriend owns the company that bought up Roscoe and his technology."

Superman had come up close behind her and stared at the onscreen image and lines of notes. "I remember her. She seemed so. . . needy. I suppose being with Lex Luthor would make someone feel that way."

Lois glared over the rim of her reading glasses at the woman onscreen. "She took us all for a ride, but I suppose she escaped with Luthor and is helping him with some new scheme."

Superman turned away from the computer. "Or she could be helping him in name only. Or her name could even be used without her knowledge."

Lois saved her research and shut down her computer. Standing up from the desk, she put her arms to the small of her back and groaned. At Superman's concerned glance, she quickly explained, "It's nothing. I'm just a bit sore. Look, I'm going to get going on this tomorrow but maybe you could. . . ?" Her voice trailed off hopefully.

Superman nodded. "I'll go and check out the corporation and anything else that seems to relate to this site. I've been scouting warehouses around Metropolis for much of the day, trying to see if Roscoe's equipment is simply stashed away somewhere."

Lois stifled a yawn. "I'm betting it's long gone. And we need to figure out where _he_ is, as well. All this coverage and not a peep out of the man, himself? It's not right."

Superman nodded again. "Maybe, but I think it's time for you to get some sleep, Lois."

She smiled wanly. "I'll try. Thanks for stopping by. Jason will need a little extra looking-after for the next few days." At her hero's raised eyebrow, she reluctantly elaborated, "Richard. . . well, he took off for D.C. tonight to cover the summit. I don't know when he'll be back." Lois held her breath. It felt a little bit like cheating on Richard to be here, in such intimate circumstances, with the man that he thought she was in love with. It felt even more like cheating in that she was amazingly aware of the attraction of the moment, the slither of silk against her skin and the warmth of his body only a short distance away from hers.

Fortunately, Superman didn't press any further with questions about Richard or in commenting on her discomposure. With a silent nod, he was out the door and, from the faint sound that reached her, flying out the window in the hallway. Lois turned off the lights and left her study. Hopefully, sleep would come soon.

* * *

"Morning, Mom," Jason called out as he pelted down the stairs. Entering the kitchen, seeing her clutching a coffee cup close, with eyes marred by dark circles no makeup could hide, he slid to a stop. "Whoa. You sick, mom?"

Lois shook her head slowly. "No, kiddo. Mommy just didn't sleep well last night." As he looked around, obviously seeking Richard, she told him about the sudden change of plans.

Jason's faced dropped. "Do you think he'll miss the holiday concert?"

Lois patted her son's hand, reassuringly. "That's not for weeks, silly. Daddy won't be gone that long. Now, scoot and eat your breakfast. We have to get going to school in twenty minutes."

Jason obediently sat himself at the table and began shoveling down his macrobiotic cereal and soy milk with only a small grimace. "Do you think I'll ever grow out of my allergies, mom? Dallas used to be allergic to milk, she says, but now she can get milk at school and drink it all."

Lois paused in packing her son's doctor-approved lunch. "I don't know, honey. Dallas' allergies might not be anything like yours." _I'm sure of that!_ she muttered inwardly. Catching her son's disappointed expression, she winced. "We'll ask Dr. Simmons when you see her for your check-up after New Year's, okay?"

Shrugging his shoulders with feigned indifference, Jason glumly finished his breakfast. Only Lois' reminder that he could play with his model cars if he finished quickly inspired any liveliness. As soon as Jason began zooming his toy cars across the living room floor, however, his earlier upset was forgotten.

Lois pinched the bridge of her nose. She felt dead tired and dreaded going into work. It wasn't the challenge of investigating that daunted her, but what she might not find. If they couldn't make a strong connection to Luthor and soon, Perry would turn their investigative energies elsewhere. It only made editorial sense, she knew, when they had papers to sell. But Lois couldn't get out of her mind that speculative expression Luthor had on his face as he waved the Kryptonite in front of her son.

Her cellphone alarm buzzed and Lois shook herself. Putting her mug down in the sink, she went to the living room to collect Jason and get on with her day.

* * *

"Now, Perry, I think it's a worthwhile angle to pursue—"

"No. You need to get the goods on Roscoe. I hear the DA's preparing an arrest warrant to be served this morning and I want you guys on it. This guy's been holed up in his apartment since Kent's first story broke and no one's seen him. I want you to get in there. Get an exclusive on the arrest if you can't work some of that 'Lane magic' and get an interview with the guy before the cops get there."

Lois smashed her notes down on Perry White's desk while Clark sat, wide-eyed, to one side. "Perry, you're not giving me a chance. I think we've got reason to believe that Lex Luthor's behind this—"

Perry snorted. "You've got nothing more than what you showed me yesterday afternoon, Lois, and you know it." She gritted her teeth in frustration as the editor calmly repeated his instructions.

Storming out of Perry's office, Clark following in her wake, Lois muttered all the way to the coffeemaker about the short-sighted stupidity of their editor-in-chief. Pouring a cup of coffee for each of them, she continued to vent until her cup was at her lip. While she sipped the brew, Clark timidly spoke up. "Maybe we could do both things, Lois? You know, go for the Roscoe interview and look into this corporate background for any hint of Luthor's involvement?"

Lois looked up in surprise. "You'd be willing to go behind Perry's back?"

Clark grinned. "He said _you_ had to cover Roscoe. He didn't say anything about _me_." He seemed to bob nervously beside her in the confined area as he spoke, but straightened, turning towards the windows as he finished his explanation.

"Great idea, Clark!" Lois smiled in delight and turned back to the coffeemaker to refill her cup. She knew that she'd regret making this a four-cup morning at some later point in the day, but, for right now, she needed the caffeine. Carefully filling her cup, she continued on, "only I think there oughta be some changes to the plan. _You_ can cover Roscoe. Perry won't mind if at least one of us does the main story he assigned and I really want to look for myself at what ways Luthor might be involved. Besides, this all began with your story, so you should be the one to cover the results of your investigation."

Congratulating herself on the fair-mindedness of her proposition, Lois turned around and blinked in surprise. Instead of Clark, there was nothingness. "Clark?"

She stepped out towards the main aisle and looked in vain for her partner. The door near the elevators was slowly swinging closed and she could only assume that Clark had sped off to start the investigation into the numbered corporation and the possible Luthor links. Lois stomped a foot in aggravation.

On cue, Perry White popped his head out of his office door. "You on my story, Lane?"

Biting her lip, Lois turned around and nodded. "Yes, Chief!"

"Good! I want the final copy by three. And pictures! Take Jimmy with you."

Lois rolled her eyes. Now there was no way she could sneak out on the story Perry had assigned her. Jimmy Olsen stumbled up beside her, shoving a camera into his bag. "Ready when you are, Miss Lane," he said.

Lois grabbed her handbag and strode towards the elevator. "Try to keep up, Jimmy."

* * *

"Inspector Henderson! How nice to meet you here!"

The lean officer appeared unmoved by Lois' greeting. "Save it for the press. Wait! That'd be you, surprise, surprise."

The cavernous lobby to the high security apartment building felt cramped as Lois elbowed her way into the crowd of policemen. Jimmy followed behind, craning his head at the press of bodies.

"What's going on here? You don't need this many people to serve a warrant."

Henderson stretched his mouth into what would pass for a smile in a kinder person. "You haven't lost any of your smarts, Lane. Boys from the DA's office have been called off. It looks like we're past that stage."

Lois cocked her head, unsure of Henderson's precise meaning. "He's skipped town?"

"And, here, I thought you were smart."

Lois grimaced as she pulled out her recorder, wanting to get the words on tape that she knew were soon to follow. "You're telling us that Jacob Roscoe— the man that the _Daily Planet_ revealed as having bilked the government out of millions and put the safety of the city at risk —is dead? That he killed himself before he could be brought to justice?"

"Yes and no. Yes, Jacob Roscoe is dead. And no because the forensic team is having a fit."

Lois arched an eyebrow as she stepped closer to Henderson. "Why?"

"That's because it wasn't suicide, Miss Lane. Only, since Jacob Roscoe's been incommunicado in his apartment since your partner's story first broke, that makes things a little interesting," Henderson said. He gestured over to the uniformed doorman being interviewed by two intent officers in a nearby alcove. "Twenty-four hour security, yet nobody's seen a thing or so they say. Yet someone got into Roscoe's apartment, took all his paperwork and computer files, then drilled him." The inspector punctuated his explanation with a finger to his own forehead. "After cutting out his eyes, that is, though maybe they cut out his eyes first. Kinda hard to tell this early in the investigation."

Jimmy blanched at the sickening description. Lois soldiered on. "Any suspects?"

"If this were six years ago, I'd be sure of the matter. But now? Things ain't so clear."

Six years. Lois froze. "Why do you say you'd be sure 'if this were six years ago'?"

At the last question, Henderson's shark smile reappeared. "That's what I like about you, Lane. You pick up things the others miss. Six years ago, I saw a string of hits on guys like this, guys who'd tried to double cross their boss and gotten caught out. The big guy had them taken care of, to teach everyone a lesson."

Lois swallowed minutely. A chill wave swept up her body and she had to force the words out of her mouth with painful effort. "And who was that boss, Henderson?"

The inspector's teeth shone brightly as he replied "Why, don't you remember? That was Lex Luthor. It wasn't one of the big cases that Superman uncovered, just some garden-variety crime that Metropolis' finest had to handle. But since Luthor's missing and officially presumed dead, it can't have been him. Anyway, what interest would he have in some two-bit con artist bilking the government? Right, Miss Lane?"

Lois blinked, willing herself to appear unmoved by Henderson's revelation. It wasn't hard, considering she felt numb with terror. Lois didn't know what linked Roscoe and Luthor. It had to be something fiendish and twisted, of that she was sure, and would be likely to pose a threat to her son as well as Superman, if not countless millions more. Whatever it was, Lois vowed she would be the first to find out.


	5. Chapter 5

Even without his superpowers tracking her heartbeat, Clark would have been instantly aware that Lois Lane was back at the _Planet_. A certain kind of hush fell over the newsroom when she strode down the aisle. The only noise besides her staccato footsteps was the news announcer droning on about Chinese preparations for a new commercial space launch. Trotting a few steps behind her, Jimmy Olsen clutched his cameras tightly and seemed to be concentrating on keeping his breakfast down. When Lois stopped suddenly at Clark's desk, the unprepared photographer plowed right into the senior reporter.

Lois emitted an aggrieved sigh. "Get the prints, Jimmy?"

The photographer fumbled for his equipment, nodding distractedly. "Colour or black and white?"

"Both!" Lois said, watching Jimmy stumble his way to the darkroom. Once he was out of sight, her brows furrowed as she turned to regard her partner.

"That was cheating!"

"Wuh-wuh-what was cheating, Lois?" Clark asked, though he was pretty sure that she was referring to his speedy departure in the morning when his super hearing alerted him to a bridge collapsing in Venezuela. Lois hadn't known about the last part, of course. As far as she was concerned, Clark had merely pulled another of his inexplicable disappearing acts.

"You heading off on me before I had a chance to fix our assignments. That was cheating! Well, it all worked out in the end. Roscoe's turned out to be an interesting dead end. His body was found this morning when the police went to serve the warrant. Murder," Lois explained as she stifled a yawn. Clark noted with some concern that she appeared stressed and jittery despite the obvious exhaustion.

Perry threw open his office door. "Lane? What's this I hear about you two stumbling onto a murder scene? In here, now!" With a resigned sigh, Lois complied, Clark following as well at Perry's impatient summons. When Lois laid out her morning's shocking discoveries, Perry was quick to change the story assignments he'd laid out earlier.

"Gangland connections? Mob murders? Is the _Cosa Nostra_ involved? Maybe Roscoe was playing both sides against the middle: stealing from the feds while he two-timed some criminals! I want you to give me something for page one and stat. Clark? Copy for a sidebar on Roscoe's finances and see if you can come up with any funny business in his past. Maybe explain this all."

Lois interrupted Perry's stream of thought. "Chief? I think that Henderson raised an interesting point when he talked about how the mutilations were the same m.o. as Luthor used to order." Clark nodded emphatically but neither Perry nor Lois paid him any attention as he stood uneasily near the door.

"Lois, you know that Interpol and the feds say Luthor's dead. Lost cause. Give it up, already."

Lois shook her head sharply. "Just because they did some calculations on the range of his helicopter and figured he couldn't have made it anywhere still doesn't convince me. I mean, a year ago nobody would have thought he could create a whole new continent and he came damn close to that. I'll believe he's dead when I see his cold body laid out in the morgue."

"And when that happens, we'll run it page one. Until then, though, you don't have any evidence and, pardon me, Lois, but I thought this was a newspaper. We report the news, we don't make it up. Give me what you've got on this by four o'clock. I'm going to see if Frank has anything to add from his series on organized crime." With a wave, Perry shooed the reporters out the door.

Lois stomped one foot in frustration. "Why can't that man see?"

Clark opened his mouth to answer, but seeing his partner already en route to her desk, shut his mouth and trailed in her wake. "I think you're right about Luthor," he offered, not just to see her sudden smile, of course, though he felt himself warm at her bright expression.

_She's with Richard_, he reminded himself, _she just needs a friend and a partner._ More than anyone else on the planet, Clark had reason to fear what Luthor might do next. The strain of jettisoning the poisonous bulk of New Krypton into space had almost been beyond him. By his calculations, Lex Luthor had five more control crystals from the Fortress, capable of duplicating such a monstrous feat. Clark's only real questions were when and where; questions he desperately sought to answer as he hunted for his nemesis.

Aware he'd gone silent for too long, Clark looked down to see Lois regarding him with fond bemusement. "Earth to Clark! Look, thanks for the support, Clark," Lois said. "But until we get some more evidence, Perry's not going to listen. I don't suppose you dug up anything useful in your own research?"

Clark made as if to rush to his desk, then turned back to Lois, then away again. She reached out a hand to his forearm. "Whoa, there. Just tell me," she urged.

Clark shrugged. "It took some doing, but I had an in with the registrations bureau in the Caymans" -- _an x-ray vision in_, he thought to himself - "still, all I could find is that there were three numbered companies registered on the same day and all with the same officers. One's a landholding company, one's seems to be import/export and the third was the one we already knew about, buying technology from Roscoe. That's as much as I could get from the government offices."

Lois' eyes brightened. "That's better than nothing. Let's get these stories done for Perry and see what we can do with the rest of our information. See if we can make some hard and fast connections to Luthor." She paused to contain another shuddering yawn.

"More coffee?" Clark offered.

"Too much more caffeine and I could power all of Metropolis," Lois said ruefully. "I tell you what. Would you take some dictation? Help me with this story? My typing's probably shot all to hell and I remember you were always a great touch-typist. Sooner we can get these done, the sooner we can get going on the real investigation."

Clark was happy to oblige. He, too, wanted to dig more on the possible link to Luthor and he knew better than anyone that while Lois might be a great reporter, she was neither the fastest or most accurate typist on staff. Truth be told, she might be the worst, he thought with a smile as his fingers flew at remarkable but still believable speed over the keyboard. But that's what partners were for.

* * *

After several hours of calling contacts for more background, pumping Frank for more insight into the relatively insular world of organized crime in Metropolis (Clark committed these details to memory, figuring that Superman might need to get involved), they had their stories. Lois insisted Clark share the byline, "Look, I've been almost catatonic for the past hour while you put this story together," she said. Rubbing her eyes ruefully, she looked at the time.

"After we get this okayed by Perry, there's not going to be enough time to do much on the rest of our research," Lois glanced at her watch again. At least not before I have to pick up Jason from his after-school care."

Clark nodded. "Look, Lois, you look really tired. Maybe you should just pick up Jason and go home now. I can finish things up here with Perry, you know, if you want. . . ." His voice trailed off hesitantly and Lois found herself fighting the impulse to pat him on the head as she would Jason. Clark could be so sweet, she mused. Normally, she would be one of the last ones to leave the paper when in the throes of a good investigation, but then normal didn't include Richard being out of town -- maybe more -- and herself operating on two hours fitful sleep.

"Okay," she found herself saying, "but on one condition. You come by our house for dinner tonight. We can go over the research then and if I conk out, I'm only steps away from my own bed."

Clark looked at her in silence and Lois grew uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," she said. "Do you have a date tonight or something?" The thought of awkward Clark on a date left her feeling a bit uneasy, perhaps, Lois told herself, because she felt sure he'd be hopelessly henpecked.

"N-n-no, Lois," Clark replied, seeming alarmed. "No, I was just going to have a quiet night." He looked up in surprise as she swiftly rose from her desk.

"Then, good, it's settled. I'll head home with Jason and you can come by at six thirty. You know where we live, over on Riverside?" Clark nodded silently. "Of course, there's not much to eat in the house." She frowned, chewing on her lip. "Pizza sound good?" Lois slipped her arms into the coat sleeves and cinched her belt before meeting Clark's wide eyed stare. "Pizza?" she prompted.

"Uh, sure, Lois," he said, and then seemed to reconsider. "Actually, why don't I bring something else."

Lois grimaced. Her son's special diet took a lot of care and she wasn't sure that a bachelor like Clark would pay attention to such matters. "You know that Jason can't eat most foods. I don't want it to be a problem. The local pizza place we have on speed-dial makes him a gluten and dairy-free pizza that he'll eat. I don't know about any place else—"

Clark interrupted her long winded explanation. "I know about Jason's allergies. But I remember he was talking about being tired of pizza when he was here in the office last week. I thought I'd pick up from the Chinese place over on 49th. We've eaten from there before when Jason was with you in the evening here at the office. Richard ordered the tofu and steamed vegetables with the sauce on the side for him, right? Jason said he really liked it."

Lois blinked a couple times, surprised at the evidence of Clark's powers of observation though she really shouldn't be. He was a reporter, after all, and Jason spent almost as much time at "Mister Clark's" desk as in Richard's office. "Sure, that would be a nice change. But I should pay." She reached into her wallet and pulled out a couple of twenties, pressing them at Clark. "I insist."

With visible reluctance, he accepted the bills from her outstretched hands. Lois marched off to the elevator, stifling yet another yawn. This might be a record, she thought, as she exited the newsroom floor: the first time Lois was early to pick up Jason from his daycare as well as the first time Clark had come to their house. It was only a pity that Richard wouldn't be there, either, she thought, then pushed the regret aside. At some point they'd have to address his concerns but not right now.

* * *

Jason was happy to hear Clark would be coming by the house and bringing dinner, to boot. When pressed by his mother, he confessed that he was growing tired of the pizza which had become a near staple in their fast-paced lives. Lois felt chagrined that she'd missed noticing this change in her son's tastes but his fierce hug soon convinced her that it wasn't the end of the world. Ruffling his hair (and mentally wondering if he'd ever be enough his biological father's son to resist a mere scissors' trim), she sent him off to play in his room while she attempted a quick nap.

The plan worked because the next thing she knew, the doorbell was ringing and Jason was pelting down the stairs. "Mister Clark, Mister Clark!" he hollered, jumping up and down impatiently while his mother descended to the ground floor. Glancing at the hallway mirror, she sighed before opening the door. She looked quite a mess, but there wasn't too much to worry about. It was only Clark and he was coming to work.

Putting on a smile, she opened the door to a staggering pile of takeout bags balanced in the grip of what was, presumably, her tall co-worker. "Clark?" she asked hesitantly.

"Lois?" It was Clark's voice, a little frazzled. Automatically she relieved him of one large takeout bag and his face emerged. "Thanks."

"Hi there, Mister Clark," Jason said. He peeked around from behind Lois, seemingly suddenly shy. Lois twisted to regard her son fondly. "Hey Jason, can you be the host and show Clark here the way to the kitchen while I get the door." Given a job, Jason shed his bashful stance and was chatting while he directed Clark towards the rear of the house. Soon Lois was dishing up food from a seemingly endless array of dishes. "You got too much, Clark," she complained.

Clark paused while tucking his napkin into his collar, "I guess I was really hungry," he apologized. Lois noticed, with some amusement, that Jason nodded vigorously before tucking into his food.

"I got another tofu dish that Jason might be able to try," Clark said quietly, watching Jason focused on cutting his veggies. "It doesn't have any added sauce and it's mostly vegetables. It's all foods that you and Richard have allowed him to eat before."

Lois knit her brow. "Are you sure?" The last thing she wanted was to take Clark's blithe assurance as security and end up rushing Jason to the hospital. It looked innocuous enough: strips of peppers, greens and tofu in a stir-fry.

He nodded and reached into his jacket pocket. "I had them write down the ingredients." He handed the paper to her.

Lois regarded it in puzzlement. "Clark, it's in Chinese."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I can read it if you'd like." Her eyes widened, Clark translated the list of ingredients that corresponded to Jason's restricted diet.

"Um, sure, Clark. That sounds fine but we'll just let him have a small serving tonight in case there's something they forgot."

"Small serving of what?" Jason asked.

"This," Lois indicated, spooning a serving of the new dish onto his plate. "Clark found something neat you can try."

"Oh boy!" Jason exclaimed as he dug in. Savouring the taste he nodded and scooped up the rest. "It's great, Mom! Can I have more?"

"Maybe tomorrow. I think we're going to have lots of leftovers," Lois said, ruefully. Jason frowned theatrically but tucked into his usual tofu dish without any more complaints. Turning towards Clark, she said, "I didn't know you could read Chinese."

"Oh," he said blankly. "I. . . picked it up in my travels."

"Right," she said, pausing to enjoy some of her own rice noodle dish. "You really have to tell us more about that."

He shrugged awkwardly. "Sometime, sure. But I guess we've got enough to do tonight and you don't want to stay up too late."

"No, you're right. After dinner I'll get Jason set up in the living room for his music practice. You don't mind if we start going over our notes there, do you?"

"Not at all," Clark managed before catching Jason's attention. "If it's okay with you that I work on this with your mom, Jason."

"Sure thing, Mister Clark. And you can listen to me practice my Christmas music before I talk to my dad on the phone. He's in Washington covering an important story, right, Mom?"

She nodded. That was good enough for now. Lois shooed Clark out to the living room with Jason while she cleaned up. Clark might be a good writing partner, but she didn't want his klutziness to re-emerge in her kitchen with her dinnerware. In a short while the leftovers were stowed away and the phone was ringing. Lois held off her eager son with one upraised hand and answered. "Lane & White residence."

"Lois? It's me." Richard's voice sounded particularly tinny. He must be on his cellphone, she reasoned.

"Richard! How are things going in Washington?"

"Pretty good. There's some major stuff coming out about Darfur and, well, you'll read about it in tomorrow's _Planet_. Perry's pleased with the coverage and wants me to stay through the summit."

Lois twisted the phone cord around her free hand. On the one hand, it was good for his career for Richard to get back out in the field. Sometimes he chafed at being so office-bound. On the other hand, his absence might give him time to brood over his worries. And it certainly was hard on Jason. She looked down at her son who was bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting to talk to his father.

"Well, you'll be missed but a good story can't be ignored. You'll let us know if your plans change?"

"Of course," Richard promised. Despite the reassuring words, Lois could still detect an emotional distance and wariness in her fiancé's tone. It wasn't going to be easy to get through to him.

Lois looked down at Jason. "You've got someone here who's eager to tell you all about his day. Want to talk to Jason?"

Richard's voice exuded happiness. "Sure thing! Put him on."

Lois gracefully ceded the phone and watched Jason pour out the tale of his day, from the excitement of getting to water the turtle's habitat that morning at school right through their evening. "And Mister Clark came over and he brought Chinese food and I tried something new and it was great and—"

"Whoa, there, sport. Clark came over?" Richard's voice came through loud and clear on the loosely held handset and Lois could see, over in the living room, Clark seem to hunch even more into his tweed suit jacket while attempting to look engrossed in his research notes.

Seeing Jason try to stammer out an explanation, Lois intervened, picking up the phone. "Yes, Clark came over tonight so we could work on our research coming out of the surveyor's murder."

"I saw that in the online edition, Lois, and when I asked Uncle Perry about it he seemed to indicate it was gang-related?"

She looked down at Jason who grimaced in impatience and reached for the phone. Holding up one finger, she tried to quickly explain without alarm. "Well, you know that Perry and I don't always agree about everything. I'm worried about, well, you know."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause. "Do you really think so, Lois? I mean, you know what the investigators said."

She felt herself stiffening. Lois didn't want to have this discussion again about her belief in Lex Luthor's survival, especially with Jason so close by. "I don't know. I just don't want to run with any assumptions. We're looking at _all_ the angles, here, Richard."

She could almost hear him stifle his arguments. "Okay. Look, if you want, if you need me to, I can come back tonight. If you're worried about, well, him."

Lois raised one eyebrow impatiently. It was sweet of Richard to offer, but she had a feeling he was only doing this to humour her. "No thanks, Richard. I'm not worried about anything, just doing my job. Clark and I will go over our notes on this and then I'll be off to bed early. It's been a long few days." A tug at her free arm reminded her of Jason, impatiently waiting to speak to Richard and she excused herself on his behalf.

Jason was soon content to be chatting on the phone, so Lois wandered back over to the living room. Clark had laid out his notes and print-outs in a few neat piles on the coffee table near Jason's keyboard. "May I?" she asked.

Clark lifted one hand in an expansive wave of permission that almost knocked over his glass of water. "Oops!" Somehow he managed to fumble it back on the table without spilling a drop. Lois simply rolled her eyes in amusement while she picked up the first pile of papers.

The two reporters were soon absorbed in their material. Clark had a surprising amount of documents from the search for Lex Luthor as well as hi-res satellite images of a number of small atolls at or beyond the farthest range Luthor's helicopter could have reached.

"There," Lois said, peering at a small smudge on a tiny islet in one of the photos. "Maybe that's it?"

Clark pointed one finger to the scale printed in the corner of the image. "Too small, Lois. That would be something the size of a gas can."

She almost growled in frustration but looked up to see Jason in the doorway looking glum. "All done talking to Daddy?"

He nodded and came over to her, burrowing into her side. "I miss him."

Lois hugged her son tightly. "He misses you, too, sweetie. But it's his job. And he won't be gone forever. Why, he'll probably be home in a few days."

Jason simply nodded silently and clung for a while. Finally he seemed ready to face things again and she set him down beside her to practice.

"Sorry," she apologized to Clark.

He shook his head. "Don't apologize to me, Lois. I don't mind and I know it's hard on a kid when their dad's not around." He seemed lost in thought for a few moments, then turned back to the papers in front of them. Lois was happy to pick up the cue. Soon they were back to tussling over the possibilities in the papers before them while Jason picked out some Christmas tunes on the keyboard.

"Look," Lois said, "we may be going at this the wrong way. Instead of trying to trace where _he_ landed or where Roscoe's money came from, maybe we need to look at the middle."

Clark looked up with an encouraging expression and Lois continued. "Maybe we need to track where the assets went after the disaster. Maybe if we can follow that trail, we can find him?"

Clark nodded. "I haven't really looked into that much because it's a bit of a mess. Gertrude Vanderworth's family launched a new challenge to the will, didn't they?"

Lois put on her reading glasses and flipped through the papers in one of her research folders. "Yes, in November they got an appeals court to put a freeze on her properties here in the state. But I don't think that extended to any of the already liquidated assets."

"Property," Clark said, frowning thoughtfully. "So, like her house here in Metropolis and the country estate?"

"And a lot of commercial real estate, apparently," Lois said, regarding the printouts in front of her. "As far as I know, they're still under the court's seal."

Clark reached for the papers and Lois passed them over. She was surprised when he gave her a serious look. "You're not thinking of going off to investigate any of these places, are you?"

She shuddered almost imperceptibly. "No, I don't think so. Mostly because I don't think he's there. They're all locked down. No electricity, no amenities, court secured. It would be too open. Too vulnerable, now, don't you think, with Superman looking for him everywhere?"

Clark Kent's eyes seemed to darken and he looked over her shoulder at the Metropolis night sky. "You're right, Lois. Superman would surely find _him_ if he were there."

Jason looked up brightly. "Superman?"

Lois glared a warning at Clark. "Hush, sweetie. Mommy was just talking. But it's about your bedtime. Tomorrow's a school day, after all."

Jason pouted. "But Mister Clark's still here and I'm the host."

Lois raised one eyebrow, quelling her son's protest. "We grown-ups are finishing up here, anyway. If that's okay with you, Clark?" she asked. At her partner's nod, she turned back to Jason. "So see, _my host_, you can go clear up your toys while Mom and Clark get these papers put away. Then you can say goodnight to Mister Clark and we'll get you ready for bed.

Reluctantly, Jason nodded his agreement. Clark almost knocked over his glass and the table lamp as he assisted Lois in picking up their papers while Jason stowed away his trucks and action figures. Lois sighed as she worked around them.

As they walked Clark towards the door, she thanked her partner for coming out. "No matter what Perry throws at us tomorrow, we have some leads to follow. That means a lot to me."

"No problem, Lois," Clark said as he awkwardly donned his overcoat. "I want to see this _problem_ solved as much as you do."

Lois smiled ruefully. She doubted Clark Kent would have half the motivation she felt to see Lex Luthor behind bars for good, but it was sweet that he supported her. Clark was a good partner.

"Bye, Mister Clark," Jason piped up. "Thanks for bringing dinner."

Clark knelt down to Jason's level. "Thanks for having me. You were a great host."

"Yeah, I was, wasn't I?" Jason's bright grin turned into a yawn and he looked up at his mother.

"You're so busted," she warned him, then pointed up the stairs. "Go, get ready for bed."

Clark looked at the young boy race up the stairs. Lois could swear his gaze was almost wistful. She supposed that being a long way from the farmland and his family, he must get lonely and mentally made a note to invite him and maybe Jimmy over for dinner during the holidays. Not that her household was a scene of domestic bliss, but at least it was better than nothing.

"Night, Lois"

Clark's voice pulled her out of her reverie and she smiled brightly as she pulled the front door open for her guest. "Night, Clark. See you at the office tomorrow."

With an awkward wave, he was out the door and into the night. Lois locked the door before it occurred to her to wonder if he had a ride. In all their time at the paper, she'd never seen Clark with a car and there certainly weren't many taxis cruising Riverside Drive any time of day. Opening the door, she leaned out to call him back inside. At least they could phone for a cab.

But there was no one outside. In puzzlement, she craned her head from one side to the other. Clark was gone. It was as if he'd flown away. No. Not that, but still. Biting her lip, she pulled her head back inside and shut the front door. Jason would be calling her from his room to get tucked-in and she wanted to get to sleep early tonight. There was no use to worrying about Clark. He was a big boy and she was sure he'd get himself home.

* * *

Over the night sky of Metropolis, a red and blue shape streaked into the clouds, heading over to the abandoned Vanderworth mansion. Superman paused high above the building and squinted closely, invoking his x-ray vision. The building was cold and quiet. Shaking his head sharply, he turned and headed west into the posh countryside beyond the suburbs of Metropolis, towards the country estate that had been mentioned in the printouts. Lois' worries had reawakened his own dread of Luthor's survival and he vowed to carry on an exhaustive search of all possible hideouts until they found the criminal mastermind, however long it took.

* * *

A city bus braked to a noisy halt in the quiet cul de sac. "You sure this is your stop, miss?" the bus driver asked, looking at the quiet mansions and imposing gates leading off to even more imposing residences.

The dark-haired woman who was his only passenger this far out nodded, clutching an oversized, wiggling tote bag in one hand and a battered, wheeled suitcase in the other. "It's okay. I'm just hired help."

"Oh," said the driver, nodding in sympathy. "The rich. They do need a lot of help, don't they?"

Chewing tiredly on her gum, the woman craned her head as she looked out on the dark street. "Sure do. But the pay-off's good if you're lucky." Dragging her suitcase down the steps behind her, she got off the bus and trudged into the night. The bus driver shook his head and drove off. Not his business, he decided.

Looking down into her tote, Kitty cooed to the tawny Pomeranian whose head peeked out in excitement. "We're home, precious. And now there's no Lex around to make us miserable. We're just going to settle into this old house. No one will look for us there and we can be as cozy as can be." Hugging her dog, Kitty Kowalski slipped through the unlocked servants' entrance tucked in along a desolate part of the stone boundary fence and made her way to the abandoned mansion.


	6. Chapter 6

The roar of the seaplane taxiing towards the dock was drowned out by Jason's yelp of excitement. He thundered down the stairs from his room while Lois slowly made her way up from the laundry room, a large basket of clean clothing balanced against her hip. "Careful!" she shouted to Jason as he wrestled with the back door. "Wait until the engine's stopped before you run out there. And it's cold out so put on your coat. You know the rules."

Her son sighed dramatically as he dropped his hand from the knob, his eyes never leaving the plane that was slowly maneuvering up to land. "But, Mom, it's Dad. He's finally home!"

"Rules are rules. Wait!" she ordered sternly, but then put down the basket to give him a hug and help fasten his jacket. Silence suddenly loomed and Jason looked up at his mother excitedly. She nodded and he was out the door in an instant. "Dad!"

Lois stayed inside while Richard and Jason caught up. It had been almost a week that her fiancé had been in Washington covering the summit on African issues and the long absence had been hard on Jason. For her part, the days without Richard had been filled with work as she'd teamed up with Clark both to try and track down Luthor as well as provide Perry with the front page stories he'd demanded. But the nights when she hadn't immediately fallen into an exhausted sleep had been dogged with worries and recrimination as Lois had mentally replayed Richard's sad question.

_"When are you going to admit to yourself that you're still in love with Superman?"_

Her guilt was compounded by the secrets she still kept. How could she tell Richard that not only might his fiancée still be entranced by her old flame, but that the son he'd raised and loved was also that man's child? Her life felt like something out of a soap opera but worst of all was that she didn't know what to do. For Lois Lane, used to tackling life as she tackled stories, head-on and relentless, this was almost unprecedented.

Her introspection had to be put aside; Richard had secured the seaplane and grabbed his suitcase while allowing Jason to carry his well-traveled attaché. Together they made their way to the back door. Lois opened the door as they approached. "Welcome back," she managed.

Richard raised an eyebrow at the stilted phrase, but bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "It was a long trip."

"Daddy got to meet a prince who's _my_ age."

Lois smiled indulgently at Jason's awed tone. "Sounds neat! You'll have lots of time to hear all of his stories _after_ you get ready for bed."

Jason opened his mouth to argue, but saw equally determined expressions on both of the adults' faces. He settled for dropping Richard's attaché on the kitchen table and racing to his room as fast as he could.

Lois leaned back against the kitchen counter, feigning a relaxation she didn't feel. "So, how was your trip?"

Richard shrugged. "It went well. Perry will be pleased. I got some great interviews and we're pulling together some extended coverage for the international section. Anything to eat? I skipped dinner so I would be back before Jason's bedtime."

Lois nodded and busied herself with reheating some leftovers, happy for something to do. She accepted the glass of wine Richard offered her after she laid out his plate, but refused the chair at the table. Richard opened his mouth as if to speak, but the sound of Jason's feet thundering back down the stairs caused him to pause. "This isn't over, Lois. We need to talk."

As Jason skid into the room, clad in his flannel pajamas, Lois nodded silently. She took refuge in slow sips from her wine glass and tried not to let her disquiet show. Soon Richard was laughingly taking Jason's hand to tuck him into bed.

Lois drew out the kitchen clean-up for a long time but Richard didn't return. She tracked him down in the living room where he was watching the news with a wry grimace on his face. Without being able to see the screen or hear the announcer, Lois nevertheless knew that Superman was on the screen. Only the last son of Krypton evoked such a mixed reaction from her fiancé.

Cocking her head to one side, Lois braved the inevitable. "Are you ready to talk, now?"

Richard turned off the television and nodded. "Yes, Lois."

Warily, she sat down in the chair across from him and waited. Richard seemed to be searching for words: not a problem the expressive newsman often faced. But when he caught her eye, Lois shivered in apprehension. His gaze seemed sorrowful yet firm. Without hearing a word, she knew what he was going to say.

"Lois, it's over." As she opened her mouth, wordlessly, Richard raised a hand to stay her protests. "Look, I don't want to have a long, drawn out fight over this. I don't want to fight at all. But after six years together, more or less, I've come to the realization that this is never going to happen."

Richard looked away, over his shoulder, off to the night-dark city skyline, then back to Lois across the coffee table. "I said before that I don't want to be your second best. And I don't mean Jason, there. I know he's your first priority, mine, too! But I've known, ever since Superman came back, ever since we went back to rescue him, that he's the reason why you couldn't commit to our relationship. And even if you did, it would be a lie. I don't want to live a lie, Lois."

Richard laughed, hollow and helpless. "I was prepared to give you all the time in the world because a marriage certificate doesn't mean all that much in the end. And though I know you'd be faithful to me because you're that way, I don't want to keep you tied down when your heart belongs elsewhere."

Throughout his speech, Lois was shaking her head in negation. When he paused to take breath, she stormed in. "Richard, I've told you, I'm not involved with Superman. I'm not going to be involved with Superman. I have a son, a fiancé, a job and a life that I'm happy with. I don't want to see things change."

As she spoke, her stomach churned. Richard's expression was sweetly sympathetic but distancing. Inwardly, she knew that change was inevitable, especially when she eventually broached the subject of Jason's real parentage. Richard would always love Jason as his son, she knew this, but this revelation, coming as it would on the heels of Richard's own feelings of displacement by Superman, would be one heartbreak too many. Helplessly, Lois closed her mouth and blinked back furious tears. No matter what she did, change was coming and coming fast.

Richard interrupted her musing when he laid a hand on hers. "Hey, Lois. I understand what you're saying, but I can't just be your security blanket. If you're not going to be here with me but out there whenever he's around, it's not something I can take, at least not easily."

"You're leaving us, then?" Lois glanced up towards Jason's bedroom. She trusted he was already deeply asleep, but still, she worried that he'd somehow overhear his parents' conversation.

Shifting uneasily in his seat, Richard nodded. "It's not going to be a rush but I've been talking with Uncle Perry. The Planet's looking to expand our international bureau again with a real, onsite editorial presence. I've been talking with him about whom to recommend or recruit to this position for months but, really, there's nobody internally who's qualified for the position, except me."

Lois closed her eyes, hoping to shut out what she knew was following. As she listened, Richard explained the position which, she had to admit, seemed tailor-made for his expertise. And she knew that, even without Superman's return, they might well be sitting here in this very room, right now, talking over the pros and cons of his accepting the overseas posting. But with they way things had changed, the list of cons that Richard mentioned came up short except in one area.

"Jason. What about Jason?" Lois demanded.

"He'll understand. Heck, I was even going to suggest that he could come spend March break with me after I'm settled there. He could meet that young prince we were talking about earlier." Richard smiled indulgently.

"No, I mean, what are we going to tell him about us?"

Her fiancé blinked and looked away again. "Nothing right now, I'd suggest. We can play it by ear and just start by telling him that I'm going to be posted abroad for the next several months. He's used to both of us traveling. This will just be a bit bigger."

* * *

Lois tapped her fingers on the wheel as she waited at the red light. Clark hunched over in the passenger seat, flipping impossibly quickly through a file of papers they'd picked up from the courthouse.

"Well?" Lois demanded as she sharply accelerated the car as the light turned green. "Anything useful in the Vanderworth lawsuit?"

"The money essentially disappeared when it was transferred out of the Metropolis banks after Gertrude Vanderworth's death. Untraceable movement to numbered accounts in amounts small enough to not attract notice, but it drained the coffers dry within weeks. It's a dead end, though. There's not enough to go with to Perry," Clark explained.

Looking up to see Lois' furrowed brow and dangerously pursed lips he dug through the pile for another folder and quickly elaborated. "However, if you put together the with these phone records you finagled, matters get a bit more interesting. It appears that calls were placed to the Grand Caymans just before every series of bank transfers were run."

"The Caymans?" Lois braked and spun the wheel to sharply corner the vehicle as they moved into the industrial district outside the Metropolis docklands. "Where that company that bought out Roscoe's prototype is located. The company under the direction of Kitty Kowalski, who went out with Lex and his goons on that yacht that Jason and I almost died on."

Clark nodded emphatically as he shuffled the papers together. "It doesn't prove that Luthor's alive and involved, but somebody spent a lot of money to acquire that device and that was after the whole. . ." his voice trailed off as searched for a word to encompass the chaos Luthor had brought to Metropolis and nearly all of earth. Involuntarily, Clark sighed and dropped his head lower.

"Disaster?" Lois supplied, maneuvering her car into a slushy lot. She cut the engine, then turned to glare at Clark. "Don't waste our time on the past, Clark. I need you with me on this investigation, especially since Perry's not authorizing it. Having to work it around all our other stories is hard enough. Having to work around a partner is not going to help. At least this follow-up about Roscoe's invention lets us kill two birds with one stone. But not if we're late to meet with his old teacher!"

Following Lois's lead, Clark got out of the car and headed towards the service entrance of the somewhat shabby university building. Soon they were welcomed inside the overcrowded laboratory of Professor Philip Schmidt, a wiry, white-haired scientist who regarded them both with a penetrating gaze.

"You're not here to sling mud, are you?" The elderly academic regarded both of the reporters in turn before closing the heavy door behind them. "Met U security is just a phone call away if you're only interviewing me to try and ferret out some scandals about Jacob Roscoe. All these vultures from the other papers have been calling me since Jacob was murdered, wanting to know if he was a cross-dresser or stalked co-eds or something. Sensationalism, bah!"

Clark stood a bit taller as the older man spoke. "No, sir. We want to know about the science behind all of this. What was so different about his invention? How does this relate to your own research and investigations?"

Schmidt cocked an eyebrow at that. "Buttering me up?"

Clark stammered a shocked negation and continued to stutter his assurances to the professor, who smiled slightly as he indicated they should follow him further into the complex.

"It's okay, Mr. Kent. I believe you. I just have to make sure you two're worth my time." With that, the professor was off and running, taking them on a whirlwind tour of the laboratory site, rattling off information about his former student's related research program and achievements. The reporters peppered Professor Schmidt with questions about the science involved and the older man joked that he should recruit them to his research team.

Stopping before a darkened doorway, he turned to regard the reporters with a gleam in his eye. "You've been remarkably patient. I guess you really do want to know about this stuff. So I've got something special to share with you. You know how the one prototype disappeared from his business?" Lois and Clark nodded in unison and the professor's smile broadened. "Well, that wasn't the only prototype in existence."

He flicked on a switch and punched in a passcode to the lock. "Jacob developed his scanner after he left Met U, but he needed our help, my help, to bring his vision to life. The two of us spent weeks in this lab, trying to make it work. It took all our ingenuity, but in the end, we developed this."

With a sweep of his hand, Professor Schmidt directed their attention into the dimly lit room where a long table held a haphazard contraption incorporating a monitor, keyboard and small sensor dish.

Lois breathed her excitement. "You have a working model of the scanner?"

Professor Schmidt shrugged. "It works, yes, but it's not in any shape to be transported out of the lab. Jacob refined this design and built it into a case that was hardened for transport. But all the important elements are right here." Reaching over, the researcher flipped a switch on the machine and the monitor flicked to life.

While the screen flickered with a series of cryptic messages, Schmidt moved over to a cupboard at the end of the room and began to rummage around. "Jacob's genius was that he figured out how to combine both visual and microscopic levels of scanning into one machine. This detector not only maps what we can see, but provides a wealth of information about the chemical and physical makeup of the materials. For instance, let's scan some of these rock samples." He pulled a large piece of dull, grey stone and laid it in front of the detector. Immediately, the monitor began to flash until an image coalesced.

Clark and Lois stepped closer to the monitor, reading the information. A visual scan of the rough rock surface was accompanied by an analysis of the elements in the sample: silicon, iron and other elements were highlighted. A flick of one button switched the screen and Professor Schmidt demonstrated how the machine used satellite technology to link into databases to provide detailed information about the origins of the sample.

Never taking her eyes from the screen, Lois asked Schmidt, "How does it do the more detailed scans like I saw at the harbour?"

Schmidt smiled impishly and flipped another switch. The monitor displayed a topological image of the rock sample in its bare, metal tray. Almost dancing, he hurried over to a large cabinet beside the doorway. "It'll look even more impressive when I switch sample trays. We have one that's rather heavy, filled with water to simulate the underwater scans as you've mentioned but that's probably too much for us to move without my assistants. However, Jacob and I set up another to simulate a lunar surface as he hoped to license the technology to NASA or a commercial company. It demonstrates the full power of the scanner in great detail!"

Schmidt huffed with effort as he opened the cabinet. "Heavy," he explained, "lead-lined to reduce any contamination of the scanner results." Clark staggered slightly in the dim room as the cabinet door clanged against the wall. Professor Schmidt continued his explanations as he maneuvered a tray out of the cabinet but Clark didn't hear a word as he focused on the feeling of weakness that threatened to overwhelm him.

"Clark? Clark?" Lois's voice sounded thin and tinny so the feel of her hand on his shoulder was disconcerting. Clark lifted his hand to forestall any more inquiries and started to move towards the exit. He was stymied when Professor Schmidt rushed over from the scanner. "Is there a problem, Mr. Kent, Miss Lane? We have our extraterrestrial simulation almost ready to go. Of course it's not moon rocks but some meteorites we got from the Geology Department here at Met U. There's this absolutely beautiful great big hunk of green meteorite that shows up beautifully on the monitor. . . ."

But Clark heard no more as Professor Schmidt shoved the rock sample closer for their admiration. His eyes were rolling back in his head as the pure, unadulterated kryptonite sapped all the strength from his body.


End file.
